Exploring the Contextual Influences on Adolescent Career Identity Formation: A Qualitative Study of Hong Kong Secondary Students

Abstract

This paper draws on Marcia and Porfeli’s identity status models to examine the relationship between adolescent career identity formation and its contextual aspects. Focus group interviews were conducted with 26 students at two Hong Kong senior secondary schools. It was found that most participants exhibited the career identity statuses of achievement, searching moratorium, or moratorium towards the end of school. Influences that were identified from family, school, and social culture varied across individuals with different career identity statuses. By reporting the findings from an East Asian school setting, the paper provides theoretical and practical implications for career development for senior secondary school students.

Evaluation of a Blended Career Education Course during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students’ Career Awareness

“…It is in line with the notion that "people in the moratorium stage generally experience more anxiety than other stages" [36]. More specific to the Hong Kong context, Xu and Lee (2019) reported that achievement anxiety had prolonged effects on secondary school students' occupational identity [69]. Whilst our study highlighted the issue in Chinese samples, studies concerning the anxiety feeling of moratorium stages in career program in Western culture are limited, not to mention those in Chinese culture.…”

“…Our study confirmed that these clusters (NHP, HP, and AP groups) are valuable for understanding Hong Kong students' identity status especially to those who had already explored or actively exploring career alternatives. The main effect in Identity Achievement was not detected, possibly due to the fact that most adolescents are still in the moratorium stage as reported by a recent qualitative study in Hong Kong [69]. Lastly, this study found no main effect in Identity Foreclosure and Identity Diffusion among NHP, HP, and AP groups.…”

Academic and Career Aspiration and Destinations: A Hong Kong Perspective on Adolescent Transition

“…In the first phase of the ISCY-Hong Kong study, over 5,000 senior secondary students from more than 50 secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in the survey. In the second phase, teacher and student focus group interviews were conducted in 10 schools [33][34][35][36][37]. Each school was requested to recommend two to three students for focus group interviews with diverse learning and life experience.…”

“…"What issues would you consider, and what factors would influence final decisions regarding study or work, as well as how you make your decisions?" is paper reports the responses of seven student interviewees from three schools with varying intakes of student according to a student's allocation band under the "Secondary School Places Allocation System" [5] in Hong Kong [33][34][35][36][37]. e focus group and individual interview data of these students were transcribed verbatim, after which the data were analyzed based on related categories of systems theory of career development ( [20,40]; p. 170).…”

“…Seven students from three schools were selected in third phase of this study. ese three schools broadly represented three categories of secondary schools in terms of student profile (allocation bands) and history of the school ( [34,37,42]). Pseudonyms have been used to protect students' privacy, with anonyms used to reflect participants' different schools, for example, Au and Aw are from School A.…”